I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 40 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Free Members will get 10 Chapters Ahead of the schedule on Patreon!!!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
Xue Zhe clearly understood that revealing the strength of a Title Douluo too early would arouse the vigilance of the Spirit Hall and other forces, which would be detrimental to the future development of the Barak Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Xue Tianxing and his group had already helped Cao Qing successfully hunt down his fifth soul ring—a 15,000-year-old "Mystic Armor Giant Rhinoceros" soul beast, which gave Cao Qing a powerful defensive soul skill, "Mystic Armor Guardian," further enhancing his defensive capabilities.
Afterwards, the group headed towards Heaven Dou City to participate in the upcoming Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies.
The carriage traveled along the official road leading to Tiandou City, and soon the majestic city gate of Tiandou City came into view.
From afar, the city gate of Tiandou City soared into the clouds, the city walls were covered with exquisite patterns, and the soldiers guarding the city gate were all upright and majestic.
Inside and outside the city gates, people came and went, creating a lively atmosphere. Among them were many Soul Masters wearing the uniforms of various academies—clearly, many advanced Soul Master academies within the Heaven Dou Empire had arrived in Heaven Dou City in advance to participate in the Continental Soul Master Competition.
Xue Tianxing and the others got off the carriage and followed the crowd into Tiandou City.
The city was bustling with activity, its streets lined with shops and filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares. Shui Bing'er had only taken a few steps when her gaze was drawn to a group of Soul Masters in light blue uniforms not far away—the uniforms of Tianshui Academy!
She immediately spotted her mother, Minazuki, standing at the very front of the line.
"Mother!" Shui Bing'er shouted excitedly, grabbing Xue Tianxing's hand and running quickly towards Tianshui Academy. Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and the others followed closely behind, their faces full of anticipation.
Minazuki was explaining the precautions to the students of Tensui Academy when he heard a familiar voice and immediately turned around.
Upon seeing Shui Bing'er and Xue Tianxing's group, a gentle smile instantly appeared on her face, and she quickly stepped forward:
"Bing'er, Tianxing, you've arrived too."
"Hmm! We just arrived in Tiandou City, and we didn't expect to run into you so soon."
Shui Bing'er said with a smile, and took Shui Wuyue's arm.
Xue Tianxing and the others greeted Mizuki, who smiled and nodded in response.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xue Tianxing and Shui Bing'er both noticed that Shui Wuyue's smile gradually faded, replaced by an undisguised melancholy, and her brows furrowed slightly, as if she had something on her mind.
Shui Bing'er noticed her mother's unusual behavior and quickly asked:
"Mother, what's wrong? Is there some trouble at Tianshui Academy?"
Mizuki sighed softly, a hint of worry in her eyes, but she didn't answer immediately. Instead, she glanced at the crowd of people coming and going and lowered her voice to say:
"There are too many people around here, let's find a quieter place to talk."
Xue Tianxing and the others exchanged glances, their hearts filled with doubt. As one of the five major elemental academies, Tianshui Academy was powerful. Even without the sisters Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er, it shouldn't be like this. What could be causing Shui Wuyue to be so melancholy?
Afterwards, Mizuki led the students of Tensui Academy to a nearby teahouse with Xue Tianxing and his group, and they found a quiet private room to sit down.
As soon as she sat down, Shui Bing'er couldn't wait to ask again:
"Mother, can you tell me now? What exactly happened?"
Mizuki picked up the teacup on the table, took a small sip, and then slowly spoke, her tone tinged with heaviness:
"It's about the Continental Soul Master Tournament... Our Tianshui Academy might be in trouble."
Seeing her mother hesitate, Shui Bing'er's worry deepened, and she quickly pressed for an answer:
"Mother, please tell me! What happened? Is the academy facing difficulties in preparing for the competition, or is some other force making things difficult for us?"
Mizuki put down her teacup, her face deepening with sorrow. After a moment of silence, she slowly spoke:
"Just three days ago, I received news from an old friend that after the five elemental academies' competition more than a year ago, Thunder Academy, Blazing Fire Academy, and Divine Wind Academy, whether out of fear of your Barak team or for the generous rewards of this Continental Soul Master Tournament, actually took advantage of a loophole in the tournament's rules."
Mizuki paused, then, with a hint of helplessness in her voice, addressed Xue Tianxing and the others:
"The competition rules only restrict the age and school affiliation of the participants, but do not explicitly prohibit teams from different colleges from forming together."
These three academies seized upon this loophole, selecting their most talented students from each academy to form a brand-new joint team.
"A joint team?"
Xue Tianxing and the others were stunned, and Shui Bing'er frowned even more, then continued:
"How could they do this? This clearly undermines the fairness of the competition!"
Mizuki gave a wry smile and continued:
"But since the rules don't prohibit it, there's nothing we can do."
I found out that all the members of this joint team are Soul Masters—the siblings Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang from Blazing Fire Academy, Yu Tianxin from Thunder Academy, Feng Xiaotian from Divine Wind Academy, and three other outstanding talents from the three academies, with the lowest Soul Power being level 42.
Even more surprisingly, Thunder Academy, backed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect, transferred a level 48 Soul Master from the sect—a highly skilled individual who met the age requirements for the competition—in order to achieve good results.
At this point, Mizuki's voice became somewhat heavy:
"This team has a luxurious lineup, with strong offense, control, agility, and support all included, and their soul power levels are also quite high."
When I first heard the news, I was shocked and powerless.
To make matters worse, the tournament organizing committee had just announced the first round matchups, and our Tianshui Academy's first opponent was this very combined team.
Mizuki looked up at everyone, her eyes filled with disappointment:
"The highest-ranking student from Tianshui Academy participating this time has a soul power of only level 43, and he's a support-type Soul Master. Facing such a strong team, we'll likely be eliminated in the first match if nothing unexpected happens."
"That's outrageous!"
Shuiyue'er was the first to slam her hand on the table, and said angrily:
"They resorted to such opportunistic methods to win; they have absolutely no competitive spirit!"
Dugu Yan frowned and echoed:
"Exactly! It's a competition between colleges, but they formed a joint team. What's the difference between that and cheating? Even if they win, it's not honorable!"
Cao Qing, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong also expressed their dissatisfaction, and the private room was filled with indignant voices.
Xue Tianxing listened from the side, but his heart was stirred with considerable turmoil.
He had read the original novel and clearly remembered that there was indeed a joint team composed of Blazing Fire Academy and Divine Wind Academy in the original novel, but that team only appeared in the later stages of the competition, and its purpose was to target Tang San.
But now, not only has the joint team appeared ahead of schedule, but Thunder Academy has also joined, and the team members are even stronger than in the original work.